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Lion Links: 3/10/25

Lions lose at New York City FC, Pride fall in penalties in the Challenge Cup, OCB wins season opener, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Hello Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. It’s finally feeling like spring up here in Chicago with warmer weather. I’ve been out covering high school water polo and lacrosse. Our Lions lost and the Pride fought to a draw but fell in penalties in the NWSL Challenge Cup, but OCB managed to pull out a win to close out the weekend. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Falls on the Road to New York City FC

Orlando City dropped its first road match 2-1 to New York City FC Saturday at Yankee Stadium. The Lions trailed 1-0 early in the second half before Luis Muriel scored the equalizer, tying the match at 1-1. Minutes later, Hannes Wolf scored the winning goal for New York City FC. Kevin O’Toole received a late second yellow card, and NYCFC went down to 10 men, but Orlando could not capitalize on the man advantage. The loss means Orlando hasn’t beaten New York City FC in their last six meetings. Once again, the club signed midfielder Gustavo Caraballo to a short-term contract prior to the match, and the teenager came on late to try to help find a tying goal. The Lions will be back on the road Saturday for their next match to take on the New York Red Bulls at Sports Illustrated Stadium.

Orlando Pride Lose Penalty Shootout vs. Spirit after 1-1 Draw in Challenge Cup

The Orlando Pride began their 2025 campaign on Saturday with a 1-1 draw against the Washington Spirit in the NWSL Challenge Cup at Inter&Co Stadium but fell 4-2 in penalties. Rafaelle put the Pride in front 1-0 just before halftime. Leicy Santos scored the equalizer in the second half. Kylie Nadaner thought she scored the winning goal late in the second half for the Pride, but the flag went up for offside. After 90 minutes of play, the game went to penalties. Julie Doyle and Angelina converted the first two penalties for Orlando, but Washington converted four straight penalties for the Spirit to win the shootout and the Challenge Cup. The Pride will take on the Chicago Stars Friday at Inter&Co Stadium in their NWSL season opener.

OCB Opens Season with 2-1 Home Win Over Columbus Crew 2

Orlando City B won 2-1 over Columbus Crew 2 Sunday at Osceola County Stadium in its MLS NEXT Pro season opener. The Young Lions got off to a great start in the first half, with Dyson Clapier scoring the opener to give OCB a 1-0 lead. Zakaria Taifi scored to extend OCB’s lead to 2-0 early in the second half. Crew 2 made things interesting with a late goal, but OCB held on for the win. This is the fourth consecutive year the Young Lions have started a season with a win. OCB’s next match will be at home, as the Young Lions face Atlanta United 2 on Sunday.

Orlando City B sign Hayden Sargis

Prior to Sunday’s match, Orlando City B announced the signing of defender Hayden Sargis to an MLS NEXT Pro contract through the 2025 season with a club option for 2026. Sargis was on the bench for Sunday’s match. The 22-year-old defender brings Major League Soccer and USL Championship experience and previously played for D.C. United, Loudoun United, Las Vegas Lights FC, and Sacramento Republic FC. Sargis has one assist and has made 77 appearances in his career.

MLS Weekend Recap

Week three of Major League Soccer ended with some notable results from the weekend. The Seattle Sounders dominated LAFC in a 5-2 victory at home. San Diego FC needed two late goals in stoppage time to pull away with a 3-1 win over Real Salt Lake on the road. The Chicago Fire defeated FC Dallas 3-1 on the road. D.C. United edged Sporting Kansas City 2-1. The Philadelphia Union, FC Cincinnati, Nashville SC, and the Vancouver Whitecaps all won 2-0 matches over the New England Revolution, Toronto FC, Portland Timbers, and CF Montreal, respectively. Rafael Navarro scored the lone goal as the Colorado Rapids defeated Austin FC 1-0, while the San Jose Earthquakes fell 1-0 to Minnesota United. The Columbus Crew and Houston Dynamo ended scoreless, as did Atlanta United vs. the New York Red Bulls. On Sunday, Inter Miami defeated Charlotte FC 1-0, while the LA Galaxy lost 3-0 to St. Louis City. The defending MLS Cup champs have lost three consecutive league matches to start the season.

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  • Christian Pulisic scored twice to help AC Milan overcome a 2-0 deficit and defeat Lecce 3-2 over the weekend.
  • Sergino Dest returned to the pitch for PSV Eindhoven for the first time in 11 months after being sidelined with a torn ACL. Dest came off the bench and played 23 minutes in a 2-1 win over Heerenveen on Saturday.
  • Josh Sargent continues his stellar form for Norwich City as he extended his scoring streak.
  • The Premier League will stage a four-team summer series preseason tournament in Atlanta, Chicago, and New Jersey from July 26 to Aug. 3. The four clubs competing are AFC Bournemouth, Everton, Manchester United, and West Ham United.

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.

Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/1/25

Orlando Pride prepare for the Portland Thorns, Vancouver Whitecaps reach Concacaf Champions Cup final, Lorne Donaldson fired, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Welcome to May, Mane Landers! The months are flying by and I’m all for it. I was able to get some belated spring cleaning done this week and have been flexing my interior decorating muscles a bit as well. My cat’s not a fan of all of the furniture being shuffled around, but I’m sure he’ll get used to it. Let’s get this month started with today’s links from around the soccer world!

Orlando Pride Prep for Portland

The Orlando Pride are back in action Saturday in a road match against the Portland Thorns. Orlando is coming off of a dramatic 3-2 win at home against Angel City FC, which featured the team’s stars and substitutes linking up to come back and win. As for Portland, the Thorns are unbeaten at home so far this season and have scored seven goals across their past two games. Pride Head Coach Seb Hines spoke on Orlando’s preparations for this match and how the Pride will need to maintain momentum against a young Portland team that’s finding its groove offensively.

Vancouver Whitecaps Seal Spot in Concacaf Champions Cup Final

The Vancouver Whitecaps went on the road and beat Inter Miami a second time, winning 3-1 to advance to the Concacaf Champions Cup final. An early goal by Jordi Alba gave Miami life in the series, but Vancouver scored three unanswered goals in the second half to win 5-1 on aggregate. The star of the show was 23-year-old midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, who provided assists on Vancouver’s first two goals before scoring one himself to put the nail in the coffin. The Whitecaps have had a brutal path to reach the final, taking down Monterrey and Pumas UNAM in the previous two rounds. In the final on June 1, they’ll face whichever Liga MX team comes out on top tonight between Tigres and Cruz Azul.

Chicago Stars Fire Lorne Donaldson

Lorne Donaldson’s time as the Chicago Stars’ head coach has come to a close, with the Stars firing him just six games into the season. The Stars have lost five of their six games this year, including a 6-0 defeat to the Orlando Pride to open the season. Donaldson joined the club in December of 2023 and helped the team squeeze into the playoffs in his first year as head coach. Assistant coach Masaki Hemmi will serve as interim head coach while the club hunts for a replacement.

Brian White Wins MLS Player of the Month

Scoring in the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals capped off an impressive month for Vancouver forward Brian White, who was named MLS Player of the Month. The American had five goals in league games this April and became the first player in club history to score four times in one game when he did so against Austin FC on April 12. He’s been a major reason behind the club’s ascent to the top of the Western Conference this year. It will be interesting to see how his continued success this year factors into his role at the Concacaf Gold Cup this summer.

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  • In case you missed it, enjoy this full interview from Orlando City General Manager and Sporting Director Ricardo Moreira.

That’s all I have for you this time around. Make sure to stay hydrated out there, as this heat isn’t playing around. Have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/30/25

The U.S. Open Cup approaches, the Pride are back on top, USMNT and USWNT news, and more.

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Welcome to the last Wednesday of April, Mane Landers. May promises to be a busy month for Orlando City. You will have as many matches as you want to watch over the next few weeks. I’m certainly not complaining, but we could use a little help here at The Mane Land if you’d like to join the staff. I promise you’ll enjoy it. For now, let’s get to the links.

The U.S. Open Cup Beckons

We’re only a week away from Orlando City’s match against the Tampa Bay Rowdies to start the Lions’ 2025 U.S. Open Cup campaign. Of course, the Lions aren’t the only MLS squad entering the tournament in the Round of 32. Starting Tuesday, 16 MLS clubs join the competition, with Orlando City playing on Wednesday. While we’re waiting for the next Orlando City match, enjoy the sights and sounds from the victory over Atlanta United.

Pride Back on Top

The Orlando Pride back on top of the NWSL standings, though the Kansas City Current are technically listed No. 1 thanks to the alphabet. Of course, we all know that power rankings are actually more important than actual results. Fortunately, the Pride are top of the pops in the Goal.com power rankings and in the All For XI power rankings. Just so you know that sometimes the internet isn’t always accurate, Sports Illustrated kept the Pride in the No. 2 spot.

USMNT Concerns and Commendations

Various people in the U.S. soccer community are calling out the USMNT players for lacking the desire, drive, or passion to be successful. Former USMNT forward Herculez Gomez is the latest, though not only one to do so. At the same time, players like Christian Pulisic and Josh Sargent are making a difference at their European clubs. Pulisic is likely to sign a contract extension with AC Milan that will include a hefty pay bump. Sargent was named to the EFL Championship Team of the Season after scoring 15 goals for Norwich City. Alexi Lalas has suggested Mauricio Pochettino bring in Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter. If Pochettino is looking for “characters” for his squad, perhaps he should give Orlando City’s Alex Freeman a look?

USWNT Players Thriving

USWNT players are making an impact on both sides of the pond as they wait for their next match against China at the end of May. Emily Fox’s Arsenal squad advanced past Lindsey Heaps’ Olympique Lyon Sunday in the second leg of the UEFA Women’s Champions League semifinals. It’s not all bad news for Heaps, who was named to the Women’s French Premiere Ligue Awards Team of the Season. Meanwhile, Lily Yohannes continues her growth after becoming the youngest starter in group-stage history of the UEFA women’s Champions League late last year for her club, Ajax.

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That will do it for today. Check back with us as we get you ready for the Orlando City and Orlando Pride matches this weekend. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/29/25

Lions earn weekly plaudits, Barbra Banda up for Goal of the Week, Orlando City announces affiliation agreement, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Good morning everyone! It was a pretty good weekend for Orlando’s soccer teams as two out of the three picked up victories to collect six out of the nine points available. In the process, Orlando City stretched its undefeated streak to seven games and the Orlando Pride got back to winning ways. There’s no time to rest on our laurels though, as Orlando City B returns to action on Friday. We’ve got plenty of things to talk through this morning, so let’s jump into the links.

Two Lions Garner Weekly Recognition

Marco Pasalic and Alex Freeman both played important roles in Orlando City’s 3-0 win over Atlanta United on Saturday, and they’ve each been rewarded with a place on the bench in the most recent MLS Team of the Matchday. Freeman scored his third goal of the season while Pasalic scored a goal and provided the assist for Freeman’s strike, and the Croatian was also David Rohe’s pick for the Man of the Match. The good vibes don’t stop there though, because Pasalic’s fantastic strike from distance was also named the Energy Moment of the Matchday, which I admittedly wasn’t aware was an actual thing until this week. Not to be outdone, Freeman got some props as one of the standout young players from the matchday, which is far from the first time he’s gotten some love in that particular category. Keep up the good work guys!

Barbra Banda Up for Goal of the Week

Continuing the trend of Orlando players earning praise for their performances over the weekend, Barbra Banda has been nominated for the NWSL Goal of the Week. She scored the Orlando’s Pride’s 76th-minute equalizer that drew the team level with Angel City FC after going into halftime down 2-0. Carson Pickett did a great job saving the ball before it went out of bounds, and then whipped a dangerous cross into the box. Banda did the rest, getting halfway around her defender and contorting her head low to meet the ball and send it into the upper corner off the post. It was the sort of outstanding finishing that we’ve come to know and love from Banda, and here’s hoping we’ll see plenty more of it.

Orlando City Announces Affiliation Agreement

Orlando City announced on Monday that it has begun an affiliation agreement with Black Knight Football Club that will focus on “player development, scouting operations, executive collaboration, and commercial opportunities across both organizations.” This is technically a multi-club partnership, as BKFC has a number of different clubs in its network, including Bournemouth, FC Lorient, and Hibernian. BKFC is a partnership that was formed in 2022 when Bill Foley and Cannae Holdings purchased Bournemouth. Representatives from both Orlando City and Black Knight were enthusiastic when talking about the opportunities that the partnership will provide players and staff members from both sides, so it’ll be very interesting to keep an eye out for if/how it affects the on-field product.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans taking part in games during the working week, and cup competitions are a big point of focus. Things start on Wednesday with Barcelona taking on Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League, as youngster Diego Kochen will likely be on the bench for the Spaniards. Also on Wednesday, Brian White and the Vancouver Whitecaps will try to knock off Inter Miami in the second leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup tie. Thursday has Johnny Cardoso and Real Betis hosting Fiorentina in the first leg of the UEFA Conference League semifinals. Things then wrap up on Friday with Gianluca Busio and Fiorentina traveling to play Torino in Serie A.

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That’s all I have for today. Vamos Orlando!

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